Chapter 118: Proposing marriage and taking possession of this body, will we be a real couple? ...
"You're not like that," Lu Tingwan said in a trembling voice, "Cheng Xianzhi, calm down."
Her mind was in a mess at the moment, and she didn't know which of his words were true and which were false. She had changed her opinion of him in the past because he had protected her many times, and she had never thought that he would lose his temper and be so demanding.
What went wrong?
Cheng Xianzhi didn't want to calm down at this moment. He exposed his greed in front of her and never thought of restraining himself. He wanted to tell her that all his desires were caused by her, whether it was love or madness.
Then Cheng Xianzhi picked up the person horizontally, threw him to the low couch from some distance, and pressed down on him. Lu Tingwan raised his waist and pushed him.
He gripped my wrist tightly and pressed it against my face, making me unable to move.
"Lu Tingwan, if I want you now, can you stay here?" His hot breath fell beside her ears, rolling with her messy thoughts.
"Cheng Xianzhi, you bastard!" Lu Tingwan could no longer control his emotions. The bloodshot in his eyes told him that Cheng Xianzhi could really do it if pushed into a corner.
The person who was glaring at her covetously, his eyes filled with desire, Lu Tingwan was suppressed by a force.
This was Cheng Xianzhi's reaction.
He placed his lips on the side of her face, and Lu Tingwan smelled a different sandalwood scent than usual, mixed with something pungent, like gunpowder.
Her cheeks were being stroked by heavy breaths, and he gently embellished them, sliding them down as if to enjoy them. Lu Tingwan's move to avoid them stimulated him even more and he went crazy. Suddenly, regardless of everything, he took her in his mouth and kissed her soft lips fiercely. The words that Lu Tingwan wanted to curse were blocked in her mouth.
This was the first time in her memory that she felt his scent. She instinctively wanted to resist, but just as she turned her face to the side, he grabbed it back. Although Lu Tingwan in his arms struggled, Cheng Xianzhi's strength prevented her from breaking free. Lu Tingwan was choked and cried.
It's not just congestion.
She doesn't want to!
But she was powerless and tears fell from her eyes and into Cheng Xianzhi's mouth. Caught in lust and madness, he tasted the salty and bitter taste and heard choked sobs in his ears.
The heartbroken man was stunned for a moment, then raised his eyes and saw the poor man with tears in his eyes in the candlelight. His hot heart was pierced beyond recognition by this tear.
She cried out of grievance. Cheng Xianzhi had never seen Lu Tingwan like this. Her eyes revealed her unwillingness and disgust towards him, which broke his heart that was originally ready to be cruel.
He wanted to take possession of her fiercely, but after seeing that look, he couldn't do it anymore.
Cheng Xianzhi propped himself up, wiped away the tears on her face with his fingers, and suppressed his emotions in a hoarse voice, "Do you hate me so much?"
Lu Tingwan swallowed his breath, panted and turned his face to the side. When he blinked, another tear fell, as if dripping on his heart, soaking him.
His heart was broken, and he moved away from her, straightening his body. Lu Tingwan felt the breath in front of him go away, and felt relieved.
The figure stood in front of the curtain, the light and shadow were almost blocked by him. He waited for a while, but she never looked at him.
Cheng Xianzhi put on a cloak. Snow flakes were floating in the night. His lips were red and warm from kissing. Under the lonely moonlight, the wooden door creaked open. All the impulses and desires were swept away by the cold wind, leaving only a slight fishy smell lingering in his mouth.
The black hair was dyed with white snow, the bluestone slabs creaked when stepped on, the lonely figure disappeared in the wind and snow, and Yansheng Hall was the calm after the chaos of war.
Lu Tingwan curled up in the quilt, unable to come back to her senses for a long time. She felt a faint pain in her shoulder injury. Cheng Xianzhi's figure and breath were no longer in the room, and she sobbed uncontrollably.
For some reason, the blockage in my heart felt even more uncomfortable than when he was forcing himself to do so just now.
The wind swept through the eaves, rattling the window frames. She didn't know when she fell asleep in the snowy night. When she woke up the next day, the farce of the previous day seemed like a nightmare, and her body was still sore and weak after the struggle.
Yansheng Hall and even the entire Cheng Mansion were silent. For several days in a row, no one else was seen except Feng Xin. Cheng Xianzhi had been living in the military camp since then.
Lu Tingwan's injuries had healed somewhat, but she felt depressed again and wanted to find out about Xie Zhao's condition. She found an excuse to visit him in the camp. After entering the camp, she was led to Xie Zhao's barracks by the soldiers. After exchanging a few words, she learned that several soldiers were injured by gunpowder explosion in the camp a few days ago, and Cheng Xianzhi was also there.
It was the day when the two of them parted on bad terms. Lu Tingwan recalled that it seemed as if she had indeed smelled a scent of gunpowder that night. She was exhausted by Cheng Xianzhi's absurd behavior at the time and had no mind to think about it at all.
She also learned that Xie Zhao would soon leave for the northwest, and she also had to go to Cheng Xianzhi to get the Sunset Bow back. Because of what happened that night, she didn't want to see anyone and felt very uncomfortable.
Han Zhou reported her arrival at the military camp. Cheng Xianzhi, who was checking the documents, relaxed his brows slightly, but quickly suppressed his joy. "Go find Xie Zhao."
"Um."
He knew why Lu Tingwan came here to look for him. She must hate him at this moment.
The sound of the wind could be heard in the quiet tent. Cheng Xianzhi did not look up at anyone, but just flipped through the military map in his hand. The soldier led Lu Tingwan into the tent.
Cheng Xianzhi didn't raise his eyes to pay attention.
"I heard that someone was injured by gunpowder explosion in the military camp a few days ago?" Lu Tingwan said softly, leaning against the table.
Han Zhou crossed his arms and looked like he was watching a show.
Cheng Xianzhi didn't want to expose his intentions, so he found a reason to send him away.
As Han Zhou passed by Lu Tingwan, he gave her a meaningful look.
It seemed to tell her that Cheng Xianzhi was in a bad mood and should take care of himself.
"What's the matter?" After a long time, Cheng Xianzhi lowered his eyes and fixed them on her. The look in his eyes that night struck his heart, and he glanced down again.
"Xie Zhao is going to the northwest!" What Lu Tingwan said was what he didn't want to hear.
Before he could finish his words, Cheng Xianzhi scoffed softly, the document crumpling under his fingertips. He endured it and said, "I came to see Xie Zhao. I know there were injuries in the gunpowder explosion in the military camp. I know you're concerned about Xie Zhao, so I wanted to ask if his injuries have healed, when he's leaving for the northwest, and if he was among those injured in the gunpowder explosion, right?"
The tone was the same as that night, but the aggression in his eyes was missing.
"Besides these, why didn't you ask if I was hurt?" His voice was a little flat but tinged with heartache.
"Lu Tingwan, do you have a heart?"
She felt guilty under the pressure and muttered, "Why, why isn't there..."
"What?" He didn't hear.
"On the day Xie Zhao left, I wanted to go see him off," Lu Tingwan ignored his affection and discussed with him seriously, "Could you please give me the Sunset Bow?"
"Besides Xie Zhao's matter, you won't do anything for me, even a little bit?"
"I feel like there seems to be a misunderstanding between us. My relationship with Xie Zhao, and with you, is not what you say." Lu Tingwan said, "I want to take back the Sunset Bow."
"Anything else?" He glanced at the light blue skirt.
"there is none left."
"Um."
Cheng Xianzhi didn't say anything else. Lu Tingwan returned to the city, and the next day, the Sunset Bow was sent to Yansheng Hall.
In the military tent, Cheng Xianzhi asked her if she had anything else to say. Lu Tingwan was thinking about the divorce papers, but she knew that Cheng Xianzhi would not give it to her, otherwise he would not have promoted Gongsun Xue immediately after divorcing her.
Since she couldn't get the divorce papers, she had to find another way and take a different approach.
Lu Tingwan had just recovered from her injuries when news of their divorce spread throughout Kyoto. Cheng Xianzhi was far away in the military camp, but the news was spreading like wildfire on the training grounds. The bull's-eye shot by Xie Zhao landed on the ground, and he looked at her with a look of confirmation, "Jiang Yanli and Minister Cheng are getting a divorce?"
The colleague took a bite of the steamed bun in his hand and said, "Yes, that's what's being said in Kyoto. I've noticed that the Governor has been in a bad mood these past few days. Mr. Han Zhou has come out of the military tent with a sad face every time he's gone in. The Governor has been staying in the barracks for more than half a month. There are also rumors in the capital that the Governor and Palace Master Lu agreed to divorce as soon as they got married, but it was delayed because of the Lu family incident."
"She wants a divorce?" Xie Zhao didn't think much about his colleague's words, only hearing this information. "Then why did the Governor protect her life before?"
"What? You don't believe it?"
"You're so familiar with Palace Master Lu, go ask him!"
Yes, the passion that Xie Zhao had hidden in her heart for a long time began to leak out. When she fled to Qingyao Mountain, she knew that the leader was Cheng Xianzhi but she did not recognize him. Instead, she returned to Baita Village again. Could it be that she really wanted to escape from him?
"What does it have to do with me whether Palace Master Lu gets a divorce or not?" Xie Zhao put away his bow and arrow in a state of anxiety.
The stars illuminated the mountains and forests, the cries of crows and sparrows echoed outside the woods, and the sound of horses' hooves trampled across the official road, raising dust as they entered the city.
Under the eaves of Yansheng Hall, Lu Tingwan's eyes avoided Cheng Xianzhi's gaze. Cheng Xianzhi's figure overwhelmed the night sky and starlight. He asked coldly, "There are rumors in Kyoto about the divorce. Were you the one who did it?"
Lu Tingwan looked at him, who looked dusty and had messy hair on his forehead. "What's wrong?"
"Yes or no?"
"So what?" Lu Tingwan said confidently, "Is that why you ask this?"
"Lu Tingwan," Cheng Xianzhi was going crazy, but he couldn't do anything about her. He approached her and asked, "Are you so impatient?"
"You promised me this. It's time to settle accounts, isn't it?" Lu Tingwan looked up at him, her back pressed against the wooden wall. "You divorced Gongsun Xue and then pushed me into the position of mistress of the Cheng family. Did you ever ask if I was willing?"
"When you forced me like that, did you ever ask me if I was willing?"
Cheng Xianzhi was speechless, his palms clenched, "What do you want?"
"All I want from the beginning to the end is a divorce letter!" Lu Tingwan said, "If you feel dissatisfied, a divorce letter will also do."
"Hmph," Cheng Xianzhi sneered, "A divorce letter is fine. As long as you can sever ties with me, you'll use any means necessary? Why do you have to avoid me? Lu Tingwan, I want to hear your reasons."
"A real reason!"
"Reason?" Lu Tingwan said, "What brought us together? Transaction, profit, each getting what they want. Happy cooperation!"
"Each of us got what we wanted?" Cheng Xianzhi raised his lips. "I helped you forge the Sunset Bow, and Xie Zhao got his wish and was appointed to the Northwest. You got what you wanted. Now you want to call it quits?"
"Since we each take what we need, now that you've got what you need, is it my turn?" Cheng Xianzhi's face was gloomy, and Lu Tingwan's heart tightened.
He kicked the door open behind him, and Lu Tingwan lost her support and fell down. Cheng Xianzhi calmly reached out, pulled her back with his arm, and carried her inside. Before she could enter the inner room, Lu Tingwan broke free and was pressed against the desk again. The scene of that night was vivid in his mind.
"Cheng Xianzhi," Lu Tingwan said with a firm gaze, letting him press down on her. She watched him undo her belt, "Do you think that if you take off my clothes and take over my body tonight, we'll be husband and wife?"
"If you have the ability, lock me up for me, but I, Lu Tingwan, will not wag my tail and beg for mercy from you."
Yes, she wouldn't. She wouldn't ask me to pity her or cherish her.
But it is what Cheng Xian wants.
He had lost his former pride and arrogance, and was willing to sink for her, even if it meant falling into the mud and letting her trample on him, just hoping that she could put away the alienation in her eyes towards him.
"What if I come to beg you? Lu Tingwan, I beg you to look at me. Besides the divorce papers, what do you want?"
"Is it really possible?" Lu Tingwan chuckled.
"I want to go back to Jiangling and never come back! Will Minister Cheng allow me?"
Jiang Ling, never come back! He wanted to leave Kyoto, but Cheng Xianzhi couldn't. His eyes were filled with pain. The place that trapped him was the place Lu Tingwan wanted to escape from.
Cheng Xianzhi wanted to help her, but he couldn't bear to never see her again.
"Jiang Ling, are you okay?" he asked weakly.
"Very good, better than Kyoto!"
"Lu Tingwan, do you hate me?" Cheng Xianzhi looked down at her with a painful expression. "Yes, I do. But have you ever felt even a little bit of joy for me?"
The action of unbuttoning the waist belt continued, and the outer robe fell to the ground. Lu Tingwan gritted his teeth, and his eyes became moist.
"You hate me anyway..." His long fingers fell on Lu Tingwan's collar again, his action revealing his ambition. Lu Tingwan gritted her teeth.
The lines of her neck were smooth, her white skin was faintly visible in the dim light, and her collarbone was exposed. Facing the out-of-control Cheng Xianzhi, Lu Tingwan's forced calmness failed.
She was frightened and suddenly grabbed Cheng Xianzhi's wrist, stopping him and saying, "Cheng Xianzhi, do you want me to love you? Or do you want me to stay by your side so that you can control me?"
The gentle movement paused. Rather than this body, he wanted Lu Tingwan to look directly at his love!
When desire devoured the irrational Qingleng Jiaoyue, and love was tested in the crazy possession, what he wanted was Lu Tingwan's same feelings as his own, not this body.
"Ah Wan?" Lu Tingwan's questioning pulled back the last remaining string of control of Cheng Xianzhi, who was on the verge of madness. "Will you love me?"
Lu Tingwan closed her eyes; her bet had paid off. She tightened her open collar, pushed Cheng Xianzhi away, and slowly straightened up. Cheng Xianzhi had hidden his feelings for her in a state of fear, because there had been problems in their relationship from the beginning.
"In Qingyao Mountain, Xie Zhao once asked me if I would stay in Baita Village." She picked up the outer robe that had fallen from the table. "My answer has never changed."
Lu Tingwan put the outer robe on him and even used it as a footrest. "Both Luo Yunchu and Xie Zhao have heard this answer before."
"It's the same for you."
The wind was blowing hard at night, but she was extremely calm.
*
Facing Cheng Xianzhi's repeated direct pleas, Lu Tingwan wasn't sure she could handle him every time. She didn't know if his family might go completely crazy one day, so she had to find a way.
The rumors of divorce became more and more intense, and it had become Cheng Xianzhi's letter of divorce, and he personally chose a husband for Lu Tingwan.
Countless people have come to the Cheng family's doorstep, including men from all walks of life who have come to propose marriage, including useless illegitimate children from aristocratic families in Kyoto, businessmen, and ordinary people.
The betrothal gifts filled the Shangshu Mansion, and a huge crowd squeezed from the front hall to the gate. Lu Tingwan was holding a plate of freshly roasted melon seeds by Feng Xin, leaning against the gate of the backyard, frowning in thought, but very calm.
Feng Xin was already used to it. "Madam, didn't we just ask Aunt Miao to tell you that you and Master wanted to divorce? How did it become Master wanting to find a husband for you? It's completely confusing."
Lu Tingwan remained extremely calm. "If things can still get chaotic, it means there's still room for improvement."
The betrothal gifts were varied, and a rooster flew out of the cage. The already bustling yard was disturbed by the sudden uninvited guest.
"Feng Xin, I haven't eaten chicken in a long time," Lu Tingwan stared at the chicken that was flying over the eaves and walls. "This chicken must have firm meat. Go ask how much it costs. I'll have it tonight and roast it."
"Okay, madam." Feng Xin also joined in the fun. If it were in the past, her words of advice would have filled Lu Tingwan's ears long ago.
"Mr. Luo, the betrothal gifts include three shops and a house in the west of the city..." The person who proposed marriage had a loud voice. Everyone looked in the direction where they heard the words and saw that there was an endless stream of people proposing marriage.
"Mr. Luo?" Feng Xin looked at her, and Lu Tingwan had a bad feeling.
"Could it be Luo Yunchu?" Feng Xin hadn't finished speaking when the matchmaker added, "Mr. Luo is the president of the Chamber of Commerce. He and our Madam Lu have been friends through thick and thin together. He comes here today with sincerity, hoping that the Minister will accept these betrothal gifts and establish a marriage between our two families."
"Now that Young Master Luo is here, do we still have a chance?" Several of them retreated upon hearing this.
Luo Yunchu's figure came into view in the crowd, "He really came in person? Aunt Miao spread the word..." Lu Tingwan couldn't help but smile bitterly.
If Cheng Xianzhi knew about this, she didn't know what kind of fight he would have. She couldn't always calm him down when he went crazy.
Amidst the clamor of voices, a gruff voice rose above the crowd, "Xie Zhao, the Great General of the Northwest Cavalry, has come to marry Palace Master Lu."
The plate of melon seeds in Lu Tingwan's hand fell to the ground with a clang.
"Xie Zhao, why is he here to join in the fun?" Lu Tingwan's premonition was still lingering. "Feng Xin, tell the servants in the mansion to guard the gate. No one who comes to propose marriage will be allowed in."
"Is Cheng Xianzhi sure he hasn't returned home in the past few days?"
Feng Xin: “Not here.”
Lu Tingwan strode towards Xie Zhao, and was stopped by Luo Yunchu when they passed by him.
"Yan Li."
Lu Tingwan paused, "Luo Yunchu?"
When Luo Yunchu bowed, Xie Zhao happened to be looking over there and walked over, "Jiang Yanli."
"Xie Zhao?" Lu Tingwan turned around and stood between the two of them.
Xie Zhao scratched his head for a moment, not knowing how to explain the marriage proposal. He said awkwardly, "I, I heard that you want a divorce."
"And you came here to cause trouble like them?" Lu Tingwan asked with his hands on his hips, leaving Luo Yunchu aside.
Xie Zhao knew that Lu Tingwan would not just marry anyone among these people, but he was going to the northwest and it was unknown when they would see each other again. He had never wanted to express his feelings to her, but when he learned that they were going to divorce and Cheng Xianzhi was going to find a good family for her, Xie Zhao also wanted to fight for it, even if the hope was slim.
"I'm not trying to cause trouble. I just think I'm better than them." Xie Zhao's deep eyes were filled with sincerity. "I will treat you well and not interfere with what you do. I will protect you and..."
"Okay, Xie Zhao." Lu Tingwan interrupted him. She certainly knew that Xie Zhao was a good person. He would risk his life to protect her many times. This was his greatest sincerity. Lu Tingwan did not turn a blind eye.
"Thank you, General?" Luo Yunchu stepped forward. "You're not right. What do you mean by better than us?"
"Yan Li, I was wrong in the past, but my feelings for you have never been false," Luo Yunchu grabbed her wrist. "Choose me. I understand what you want most in your heart. We have the most compatible tacit understanding. I can help you become the most powerful businessman in the world."
"You said you wanted a divorce before, and now Minister Cheng has agreed. I'm here to take you away. I'll keep all the promises I made to you."
Although Xie Zhao didn't know about their past, he could see Lu Tingwan being pulled over by him, and he felt jealous. He grabbed the other wrist and tried to hold it back in his arms.
Lu Tingwan fell into his amazing body, "Who are you? If she doesn't want to, what are you doing?"
Xie Zhao looks like a rough man, but he is more attentive to her than anyone else.
Lu Tingwan was protected closely by him, and in public, the other people who came to propose marriage only then realized that it was Lu Tingwan, and many of them came to propose marriage even though they didn't know her.
Cheng Xianzhi and Han Zhou dismounted, and the noise in the mansion could be heard. Cheng Xianzhi frowned when he heard the clamor.
When the servants in the mansion saw Cheng Xianzhi returning home, they dared not say a word.
"Why is there so much noise in the mansion?" Cheng Xianzhi still didn't know what had happened.
"Reply, report to the master..." The gatekeeper hesitated. Cang Shu finally waited for someone to come. He signaled the servant to leave and stepped forward to explain, "The master is back."
"For some reason, there have been rumors in Kyoto these days that you are going to divorce your wife and personally arrange for her marriage. These people today are all here to see her and propose marriage."
Han Zhou looked confused. "Divorce? Meet each other? Propose marriage?"
"Yes, the matchmakers who came said that you, my lord, will personally marry your wife."
Han Zhou seemed to have heard something important and said hurriedly, "Sir, Han Zhou has important matters to attend to at the Ministry of Revenue. I will take my leave now."
Cheng Xianzhi closed his eyes and raised them again, his expression suddenly changed. He wanted to see what Lu Tingwan was going to do next. As soon as he entered the front hall, he saw three people pulling each other in the distance.
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